Festival in Andhra Pradesh

Deccan Festival

Perhaps the most vibrant and enjoyable of all the festivals in Andhra Pradesh is the Deccan Festival. Held in Hyderabad every year, the Deccan Festival takes place for 5 days. This is organized by The tourism Department of Andhra Pradesh, with the purpose to keep the tradition and culture of the Deccan area alive. The Deccan Festival, consequently also known as the Hyderabad Festival in Andhra Pradesh has participants from all over the state. The whole state comes alive with a riot of colors ,music, spices and fairs.

Description of the Deccan Festival To celebrate the Deccan Festival or the Hyderabad Festival in Andhra Pradesh, programs for cultural extravaganza are arranged. There are Ghazal nights and nights of qawalis and mushairas, that reflect the age old tradition of the city of Hyderabad. There are also fairs held in the city selling what the city is famous for, radiant and gleaming pearls of all varieties as well as the multi colored bangles. There is also a food festival arranged during the Deccan Festival, where the visitors can taste the different delicious and renowned cuisine of Hyderabad.

Time for celebrating Deccan Festival The Deccan Festival is celebrated for five days in the month of February or March.

Mahashivratri Festival

The festival of Maha Shivaratri is celebrated all over the country, and in different places and ways in different states. In the state of Andhra Pradesh, the Maha Shivaratri is celebrated at mainly Kalahasti, in Sri Kalahasteshwara Temple. It is also celebrated at Srisailam in the temple of Bharamarambha Malikarjunaswamy Temple. The Maha Shivaratri means ‘Night of the Shiva’ and it is believed to be the day when Lord Shiva married Parvati.

Description of the Maha Shivratri Festival The Maha Shivaratri festival is celebrated in Andhra Pradesh when pilgrims go all the way to Kalahasti and Srisailam to visit the temples there. There is a strict fast observed throughout the day. Throughout the night, the Shiva Lingam is worshipped by washing it every three hours with milk, curd, honey, rose water etc with the holy chant of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ chanted at the background with devotion and concentration.

Time for celebrating Maha Shivratri Festival The Maha Shivaratri is celebrated on the 13th or the 14th day of the dark half of Phalgun, that falls during the months of February or March.

Pongal Festival

One of the most significant festivals of South India, Pongal is celebrated every year to mark the beginning of Uttarayana, that is the movement of the sun towards north and to mark the time for harvest. It is a four day long festival celebrated with a lot of vigor and merry making in almost every household. It is often called the ‘Harvest Festival’ and is celebrated to commemorate the beginning of harvesting crops in the fields. Initially a festival of the farmers, now, Pongal is celebrated all over south India. The meaning of the word Pongal is ‘Boiling Over’, as it celebrates the abundant crops in the field. Pongal marks the biggest festival in the calendar of the fairs and festivals in Andhra Pradesh.

Description to Pongal Pongal in Andhra Pradesh is celebrated for continuous four days. These four days of celebrations are called Bhogi Festival, Surya Pongal,Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. During Pongal celebrations, there are processions taken out of cows that are adorned and festooned with ornaments. The entrances to each house are also beautified by colorful Kolam designs.

Time for celebrating Pongal Pongal is celebrated generally in the middle of January. Mostly from 3to the 16th of the month every year.

Rayalaseema Food and Dance Festival

The Rayalaseema food and dance festival is held in Andhra Pradesh every year to emphasize on the flourishing art and cuisine of the Rasyalaseema area of Tirupati in the Chitoor District of Andhra Pradesh. Organized by the tourism department of Andhra Pradesh, this festival is one of the biggest cultural festivals in Andhra Pradesh.

Description of the Rayalaseema Food and Dance Festival During the Rayalaseema Food and Dance Festival, the different works of art belonging to the 400 year old culture of Andhra Pradesh, the varied cuisines of the state. There are also programs of the traditional dances of Andhra Pradesh during the Rayalaseema food and dance festival.

Time for celebrating Rayalaseema Food and Dance Festival The time for celebrating the Rayalaseema food and dance festival in Andhra Pradesh is during the month of October.

Ugadi Festival

The Ugadi Festival in Andhra Pradesh is the New Year festival that is celebrated every year as Ugadi marks the beginning of the Hindi Lunar calendar. Ugadi marks a day of joy and happiness, aspirations and hope, the belief are that this day and its joys would foreshadow the course of events for the upcoming year.

Description of the Ugadi Festival Ugadi festival in Andhra Pradesh is the festival to rejoice the coming of the new year. It gives the people of Andhra Pradesh a reason to celebrate and many different ways to celebrate the coming of the new year. People wake up early and wear new clothes. The festoons of mangoe(torana) are tied to the doors and the houses are decorated with fresh flowers. There is a special ‘Chutney’ called Ugadi pachadi that is made during the Ugadi festival which is kept in an earthen pot before the idol of the house. After puja is performed and everyone takes the share of the chutney, they go for feasts and meals together.

Time for celebrating Ugadi Festival The Ugadi Festival generally falls sometime during the months of March or April. The time for celebrating Ugadi Festival is on the first day of the bright half of the Hindu month Chaitra.

Visakha Festival

India is known for its many hued fairs and festivals that forms an integral part of the attraction of India. Each state, race and culture comes up with different fairs and festivals that are different from each other, each with different origin and each has a different way of celebration. Fairs and Festivals forms an integral part of the living heritage of Andhra Pradesh. Visakha Utsav in Andhra Pradesh is celebrated with much pomp and gaiety throughout Andhra Pradesh. It is supposed to be an annual tourism festival which carries on for three days at a stretch. It is organized by the government of Andhra Pradesh. Visakha Utsav brings together the art, culture, crafts, handicrafts and various cuisines of the different regions of the state.

Time for Celebration Visakha Utsav Visakha Utsav is generally celebrated during mid January according to the English calendar. Generally it takes place in the third Friday of January and continues till Sunday.

Description of Visakha Utsav Visakha Utsav is very important for the people of Vishakhapatnam. The fair portrays the many potential present in the region. Huge number of people throngs at the destined venues to enjoy cultural programs, sports activities and cuisine competitions and preparations from far and near. Garment exhibition is also held (Vastra) along with cultural shows (kala) and traditional crafts (Jataara). Heritage tours( Yatra) and Flower shows are also held. The Government of Vishakhapatnam invest a huge amount in this fair to fuel the tourism industry in the region.

Lumbini Festival

The Lumbini Festival in Andhra Pradesh is celebrated every year, to relive the Heritage of Buddhism in the state. This Festival in Andhra Pradesh, celebrated in Nagarjunasagara in Hyderabad. Lumbini is the place where Gautama Buddha was born, and one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site. This Lumbini festival is organized by the Department of Tourism of the Government of Andhra Pradesh every year for these three days, to highlight the Buddhist impression of the state.

Description of the Lumbini Festival The Lumbini Festival is the perfect opportunity to relive the 2000 year old past of Andhra Pradesh when Buddhism was a prevalent religion. It is celebrated every year to observe the significance of Buddhism and celebrate the religion.

Time for celebrating Lumbini Festival The time for celebrating the Lumbini Festival every year at Hyderabad is from the and Friday to Sunday of the month of December.

Makara Sankranti Sankranti, also called ‘Makara Sankranti’ is celebrated to mark the beginning of the harvesting season in India. It is celebrated almost all over the country , specially in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka and Maharashtra. In Andhra Pradesh, the Makara Sankranti is celebrated for three days. During this time, the cultural supremacy of the state comes to the forefront as every place is Andhra Pradesh reflects the festive spirit.

Description of the Makara Sankranti The typical celebration of the ‘Makara Sankranti’ in Andhra Pradesh takes place for three days. All houses are decorated. Guests and in laws are invited and sweets are given out to all. People dress themselves up as characters from mythology. The first day, that is Bhogi Panduga , people burn all old articles. The second day, Pedda Panduga is the Sankranti day when the big festival is held. People are dressed in new clothes and pray to God. There are also feasts arranged for the guests. Cock fighting was a favorite game during the Makara Sankranti, but it is now banned in Andhra Pradesh. The thirds day, the Kanuma Panduga is the day for having meat after the excessive sweets.

Time for celebrating Makara Sankranti Time for celebrating the Makara Sankranti is usually in January, around the 14th of the month. It is celebrated in the month of Magh.

Ugadi Festival The Ugadi Festival in Andhra Pradesh is the New Year festival that is celebrated every year as Ugadi marks the beginning of the Hindi Lunar calendar. Ugadi marks a day of joy and happiness, aspirations and hope, the belief are that this day and its joys would foreshadow the course of events for the upcoming year.

Description of the Ugadi Festival Ugadi festival in Andhra Pradesh is the festival to rejoice the coming of the new year. It gives the people of Andhra Pradesh a reason to celebrate and many different ways to celebrate the coming of the new year. People wake up early and wear new clothes. The festoons of mangoe(torana) are tied to the doors and the houses are decorated with fresh flowers. There is a special ‘Chutney’ called Ugadi pachadi that is made during the Ugadi festival which is kept in an earthen pot before the idol of the house. After puja is performed and everyone takes the share of the chutney, they go for feasts and meals together.

Time for celebrating Ugadi Festival The Ugadi Festival generally falls sometime during the months of March or April. The time for celebrating Ugadi Festival is on the first day of the bright half of the Hindu month Chaitra.

Vinayaka Chaturthi The Vinayaka Chaturthi, also called the Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over south India, on the occasion of Lord Ganesha’s birthday, the God of all beginnings and success. It is celebrated with a lot of vigor and enthusiasm every year.

Description of the Vinayaka Chaturthi On the day of the Vinayaka Chaturthi or the Ganesh Chaturthi, people worship the idols or pictures of the Lord for one and a half, five, seven or ten days. After that these images or idols are immersed in ceremonious precessions into the Hussain Sagar Lake in Andhra Pradesh.

Time for celebrating Vinayaka Chaturthi The Vinayaka Chaturthi or the Ganesh Chaturthi falls in the fourth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada, mainly in the months of August or September.